Arachnophobia
by greysky3
Summary: The story we've all been dying to hear: How did Ron get his arachnophobia? And how does Ginny come into this story? One-shot.


**A/N: I've been working on this for about a month, adding pieces when I get inspired.**

**The story everyone's been dying to hear:**

**How ****_exactly _****did Ron get his arachnophobia?**

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"Found a Knut!" Ginny announced gleefully, running around the Burrow.

"I'll trade you," ten-year-old Fred offered. Ginny stopped, turning the bronze coin around in her hand.

"Hm," she thought.

"I can put a charm on your bed to make flowers grow out of it," George said temptingly, though he had no idea how to accomplish such a thing.

"Deal!" Ginny said brightly, handing the coin to George, who happened to be closest. They exchanged a grin, and both boys ran upstairs to their room. While George rummaged around their dresser, trying to find their piggy bank, Fred sat on his bed, thinking.

"How are we going to do that spell?" he wondered aloud.

"Dunno. Maybe we'll just wave Percy's wand, see what happens," George answered. He pulled out a ceramic piggy bank. It was bright magenta, with black, beady eyes.

George stroked it gently. "Come on, wake up." The piggy bank stretched her stubby legs, wiggling them in the air.

"Coming, coming," said the piggy bank in a high-pitched voice. She rolled around in George's hand and he set her down on the nearest bed, Fred's.

"What is it now?" she asked sharply, staring the twins down.

"We want to make a deposit," Fred explained.

"It's about time," she declared in a sniffy voice. The piggy bank opened her mouth wide, and swallowed the coin George was handing her.

"Is that all?" she said snidely.

"I think that'll be it," George told her. Fred and George exchanged a glance and left the room together.

! #$%^&*

"Coast's clear," George told his twin. Fred nodded and ran in. George stayed near the door to stand guard. As far as he knew, Percy was downstairs studying. School was starting soon, and he needed to be perfect for Hogwarts. _Perfect Percy,_ George thought bitterly.

"Are you done in there?" George called.

"Almost," said Fred. He returned with Percy's wand in his hand. George nodded in approval, and they headed towards Ginny's room.

! #$%^&*

"Try waving it," Fred urged.

"I've already done that," said George, an edge creeping into his voice. No matter how hard he shook his brother's wand, nothing more would happen than angry red sparks coming from the tip.

Fred took the wand from his twin. He waved it yet again, this time a small, sputtering lilac flame appeared. It disappeared quickly. "You know, unless you want to burn Ginny's bed, that's not going to help," said George quite unhelpfully.

Fred shot him a look that silenced him immediately. "Flowers appear, grow from the bed!" he shouted dramatically. The wand jerked in his hand.

"Grow little flowers, spread your petals. And make this bed be covered in metals!" he tried again.

"I'm not sure the 'metals' part was a good idea," George observed.

"Flowers, flowers, flowers, grow!" Fred screamed. Ginny's bed burst into purple flames, and the whole room instantly smelled like roses.

"I told you so," George said. Fred was about to punch him when there was a noise in the doorway.

The twins turned around to see their little sister standing behind them. "MUM!" Ginny shouted shrilly.

! #$%^&*

"And no Quidditch for a month!" Mrs. Weasley added.

"Yes, Mum."

"Nothing fun either!"

"Alright, Mum."

"You can only read schoolbooks!"

"As you wish," they chorused. The twins exchanged a look and suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. Molly glared at them.

"BOYS!"

"Sorry, Mum," they said quickly, this time not perfectly in unison. Mrs. Weasley looked at them again sternly.

"Run along now, I have to prepare supper," she said, and began flicking her wand at the stove, and at a pan that promptly started to scrub itself. The twins watched the flame burst under the saucepan that was filling itself with water.

They scurried along, running up the stairs. "Where are my flowers?" Ginny demanded, glowering.

"They're… on their way," George answered uncomfortably. Ginny put her hands on her hips and he was reminded of his mother.

"Give me my Knut then!" said Ginny.

The boys exchanged a look. "We'll pay you back later."

! #$%^&*

"Ron! How would you like to make an investment?" Fred asked his little brother.

"What's that?"

"Well, you give us a Knut, and we give you more money… later," Fred finished lately.

"I'm not stupid," Ron said.

"Well you fooled us," George muttered. Fred glared at his twin.

"We know you're not stupid, because only stupid people say no to getting more money," said Fred.

"Well…" Ron hesitated. "Only if I can use your toy broom."

"Deal," said Fred.

! #$%^&*

"THIS IS GREAT!" Ron shouted, zooming around the orchard.

"Careful!" Fred said, and the twins winced as Ron just missed a tree's trunk.

Ron was laughing, holding up his teddy bear so it could admire the view. His ride suddenly stopped when he crashed into a tree.

Fred and George let out an audible gasp as Ron fell onto the ground, hitting his head. They ran to the scene of the crash, worry etched all over their faces.

"My broom!" Fred wailed, shoving Ron out of the way. George picked up one half of the wooden handle of the toy broom. Twigs had spewed out everywhere.

"You go get help," Fred said, and George nodded. Jumping over a moaning Ron, he ran screaming, "DAD! My broom broke!"

Ron finally got to his feet and hugged his teddy bear, tears in his eyes. Fred looked at him with a surge of anger. That second, he couldn't stand to see his brother, his prized possession having been broken by him…

Ron let out a horrible shriek, and a huge spider scurried away. Fred opened his eyes wide in shock. He'd done magic for the third time in his life! Ron started sobbing and he ran away screaming, the spider still scuttling around, confused as a stuffed bear's ear started to change back.

When George came back with their father, he found Fred rolling around the grass, laughing hysterically.

"Dad, is he okay?" George whispered to his father. Fred let out a shriek of mirth and tried to speak between hacks of laughter.

"Ron—bear—spider—magic!" he choked out.

The other two exchanged a look, quite sure he must need a trip to St. Mungo's. After muttering "_Reparo_," Mr. Weasley helped Fred back to the Burrow.

Mr. Weasley was about to tell his wife about Fred's strange episode, when he saw that the twin in turn had calmed down and was whispering something excitedly to George.

Soon they both collapsed again in identical laughter. Mr. Weasley was about to open his mouth and tell Molly that two of their sons were now insane, but he heard her call it was time for supper.

Fred and George stopped laughing and went obediently to the kitchen to help set the table. Living with Molly Weasley, you learned not to mess with mealtimes, on the price of your own head.

Ron was about to reach for glasses to place on the table, when he almost fell backwards.

"Sp-sp-spider!" he said, horror in his eyes. His mother looked at him strangely and Vanished it with a flick of her wand.

"What's wrong, Ronald?" she asked her youngest son.

Ron burst into tears. "Fred—my teddy b-bear," he blubbered. "He t-turned it into a sp-sp—"

All around the quiet field, the orchard, and the lawn littered with Wellies and chickens, could be heard Mrs. Weasley's screaming.

"HOW DARE YOU? WHAT IF YOU'VE TRAUMATIZED HIM, AND HE NEVER GETS OVER HIS FEAR OF SPIDERS? HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF THAT? YOU MUST LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS AND YOUR MAGIC, BOTH OF YOU! YOU'RE THE ONES GOING TO HOGWARTS IN A FEW MONTHS! BILL, CHARLIE, AND PERCY NEVER GAVE ME ANY TROUBLE WITH THEIR MAGIC! CAN'T YOU TWO BE MORE LIKE THEM? YOU CAN'T GO AROUND SCARRING YOUR BROTHER, NO MATTER WHAT HE DID!"

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**A/N: Review! **

**Do not pity the dead, pity the living.**

**Above all, pity those who live with writer's block.**

***coughgreysky3cough***


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